IISc professor had told his brother about suicide

He was depressed after he separated from his wife

Parag P Sadhale, the 47-year-old associate professor at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), had spoken at length over the phone with his brother before hanging himself at his house in Sanjaynagar here on Friday morning.

Sadhale’s brother, who is settled in the US, had agreed with his view that there was no point in living as both had enough of it.

The brothers, both divorcees, spoke for hours before Sadhale sent e-mails to his colleagues — Profs Utpal Nath and Dipankar Chatterji — informing them of his resolve to commit suicide, police sources said. The e-mails were sent at 4.02 am. Police say depression and loneliness were likely trigger for the professor to commit suicide.

Sadhale came to the City in 1992 and joined the IISc the next year. He was in the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology (MCB). His ex-wife, Aparna, was a physiotherapist at the M S Ramaiah Medical College and Hospital from 1996 to 2005.

The couple got separated in 2006 but their divorce applications were accepted by the Bombay High Court only in 2010. Their daughter, Ashwini, is pursuing MBBS in Pune.

Suicide note

Sadhale left a two-and-a-half page suicide note which stated that no one was responsible for his suicide.

One of the colleagues happened to read the e-mail in the morning and called the police around 7.50 am before rushing to Sadhale’s two-bedroom flat at No 3, Strawberry Court Apartment near a petrol pump in Sanjaynagar. But it was too late.

Sadhale had sealed the main door with cellophane tapes but did not bolt it from inside. He was found hanging with a nylon rope tied to the ceiling fan hook in one of the bedrooms.
Sadhale studied BSc in Pune and did MSc from M S University, Baroda. He did his PhD at the University of Rochester, USA.

Besides Sadhale’s ex-wife and daughter, his parents, Prabhakar S Sadhale (83) and Nilima Sadhale (79), sister Gita and her husband arrived in the City in the morning.

The post-mortem was performed between 9.30 am and noon. Later, he was cremated at the Hebbal crematorium, police said.